South Carolina Elementary Social Studies: History Units for Grades 1–4
If you need planned history lessons for Grades 1–4 in South Carolina, the Elementary History Curriculum gives you all 20 of our elementary history units in one download for $169.99. It was not written for South Carolina, so treat it as a bank of ready lessons you slot into the state's own social studies sequence, with the state and local history added by you.
View all 20 history unitsThe Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99) bundles all 20 Teach Lessons history units for Grades 1–4. Each unit has an overview and three sub-units, and every sub-unit comes with a lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, a project or source activity, an answer key and slides. It is not aligned to South Carolina's social studies standards; it gives you planned history lessons that you place into the state sequence yourself.
The resources
Elementary History Curriculum, Grades 1–4
20 resources in one download: $169.99 instead of $499.80 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Elementary History Curriculum | All 20 History Units | Grades 1–4
Early American History Bundle | Native Americans, Explorers, Pilgrims & Pioneers | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Ancient Civilizations Bundle | Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Vikings & Stone Age | 8 Units | Grades 1–4
Complete Learning Books Bundle | 10 Units: Grammar, Math, Science, History, ESL, Art & Music | Grades 3–6
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Where these units fit in South Carolina's elementary sequence
South Carolina's elementary social studies does not run as a world history survey. Under the 2019 South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for Social Studies, Grade 2 looks at life in the United States and at how South Carolina is part of something larger, Grade 3 centers on geography and how physical and human features are spread across the Earth, and Grade 4 takes on U.S. history from colonization through Reconstruction, with South Carolina's role included. So which ready-made history lessons earn a place in that sequence? The answer differs by grade. In Grade 4, the units on Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims and pioneers sit close to the start of the colonization story, and the timelines and historical sources units teach skills the rest of the year needs. In Grades 2 and 3, the then-and-now units on school, family and old trades connect to everyday life, and ancient Egypt or ancient China can carry a lesson about rivers, land and the people who settled there. Vikings or the Romans are better kept for enrichment. Nothing in the set covers South Carolina history itself, so that part stays with you.
Why it fits
What the 20 units give a South Carolina classroom
Every unit follows the same structure, so planning across a grade band stays predictable.
- The Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims and pioneers units give Grade 4 a ready opening to colonization.
- Timelines & Measuring Time builds the sense of chronology students need before a U.S. history sequence.
- Traces of the Past shows young students how historians use sources, a skill every grade returns to.
- Then-and-now units on school, family and old trades link history to everyday life in Grade 2.
- Ancient Egypt and Ancient China units can support Grade 3 lessons on rivers, land and settlement.
- Differentiated worksheets with word banks help mixed-reading classes and multilingual learners follow the same passage.
Getting started
A way to slot the units into your year
This is a suggestion, not a pacing guide. Adjust it to your district calendar and to the grade you teach.
- Map units to your grade firstOpen the state's social studies standards for your grade and mark which of the 20 units sit near a standard. For Grade 4 that is mostly the early America units; for Grade 3, the units with strong geography content.
- Start with timelines and sourcesTeach Timelines & Measuring Time and Traces of the Past early in the year. Both give students tools they reuse whenever a later unit asks them to order events or read an old picture.
- Teach one sub-unit per lesson blockEach sub-unit keeps its lesson plan, worksheet, activity, answer key and slides together, so one sub-unit makes a natural block. Three sub-units per unit let you choose between a short visit and a longer study.
- Add South Carolina content yourselfPair a unit with local material: a nearby historic site, a county map or a South Carolina reading from your adopted program. The product gives you the lesson structure; the state examples come from you.
- Keep the rest for enrichmentUnits outside your grade's focus, such as Vikings or the ancient Greeks, work well for early finishers, a sub day or a short enrichment rotation at the end of a grading period.
What to buy
Full set or the early America bundle?
For a school or homeschool that wants all of elementary history from one source, the Elementary History Curriculum at $169.99 is the better value: the 20 units cost $499.80 bought separately. A Grade 4 teacher who mainly needs the colonization side may be better served by the Early American History Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92), which holds the Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims, pioneers, timelines, sources and then-and-now units. The Ancient Civilizations Bundle ($99.99, parts $199.92) suits enrichment or a year built on the ancient world.
Honest limits
What this curriculum does not do
These units were not written for South Carolina and contain no South Carolina history, no state standards codes and no Reconstruction content. They are not aligned to or approved under the state's social studies standards, so check each unit against your grade's standards before you count on it. You supply the state and local material, plus any assessments your district requires. The licence covers your own teaching; if your grade-level team wants to share it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If the set turns out not to fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value. There is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned to South Carolina's social studies standards?
No. It is not aligned to, endorsed by or approved under the 2019 South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for Social Studies. Some units sit close to state topics, especially early America in Grade 4, but nothing was written against those standards. Read your grade's standards and compare them with the unit list before relying on any unit as core instruction.
Which grade gets the most out of it?
Grade 4 has the closest overlap, because the state's Grade 4 course starts with colonization and several units cover Native Americans, explorers, Pilgrims and pioneers. Grades 2 and 3 can use the then-and-now and ancient river civilization units as supporting lessons. Grade 1 teachers will find units written for young readers, with word banks and slides, but should check their own standards first.
Does it cover South Carolina history?
No. There is no South Carolina unit, nothing on the state's role in the colonial period and nothing that continues to Reconstruction. Plan to add your own readings, local sites and maps. Each sub-unit's pattern, a reading passage followed by an activity, is easy to copy for that state material.
Can I buy only some of the units?
Yes. Every unit in the set is also sold on its own for $24.99 and linked on the bundle page. If you need only two or three, single units cost less. Once you need seven or more, the full set at $169.99 is cheaper than buying them one by one.
Can our whole grade-level team use one copy?
The licence is for your own teaching. Use across a team or a school is possible, but send Teach Lessons a short message before buying so team use can be agreed. Please do not post the files on an open shared drive, resell them or upload them publicly.
Will it work for multilingual learners in my class?
South Carolina calls these students multilingual learners and tests them each year with WIDA ACCESS. The worksheets are differentiated and come with a reading passage and word bank, which gives newcomers vocabulary support inside the same lesson as everyone else. It is not an English language program, so pair it with the supports from your Multilingual Learner Program.
See the full unit list
The product page lists all 20 units with what each sub-unit contains. Check it against your grade before you buy.
View all 20 history units